New Delhi, July 3
India today expressed concern over ‘disconcerting’ reports that its embassy in Washington was under surveillance by the American National Security Agency (NSA) and said it would take up the matter with the US.

“We have seen and studied the media reports of our embassy in Washington being amongst the list of diplomatic missions which were intrusively monitored by the US agencies. We will certainly raise these serious allegations with the US authorities,” MEA spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said at a media briefing here.

His comments came in the wake of reports that the Indian Embassy in the US was among 38 diplomatic missions which were being spied upon as per the latest top secret US NSA documents leaked by the whistleblower Edward Snowden.

On External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid’a controversial remarks virtually defending the US surveillance programme, the spokesperson said: “Our views remain what we have said previously, that we were concerned.” He, however, hastened to add that the minister was “only elaborating” on his discussions with US Secretary of State John Kerry during the India-US strategic dialogue held here last month.

Since these were all technical issues, these would be taken up in detail during the cyber-security dialogue to be held between the two countries, the spokesman added. The dialogue is scheduled to be held later this month.